


Jack's New Youtube Binge

by elizziebeth13



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Between years 2 and 3, Character Study, Fluff, Jack watches Bitty's Vlog, M/M, POV Jack Zimmermann, ish
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-05
Updated: 2020-05-05
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:54:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24016279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elizziebeth13/pseuds/elizziebeth13
Summary: The summer before year 3, Jack misses Bitty. So he finally decides to watch his vlogs.
Relationships: Eric "Bitty" Bittle/Jack Zimmermann
Comments: 13
Kudos: 255





	Jack's New Youtube Binge

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to read this fic, so I wrote it myself

Jack still wasn’t used to hearing Bitty call himself _Eric_. In theory, he knew that was his maybe-boyfriend’s name, but the concept of him using it, or even having a first name at all was still unnerving. The first time he heard, “Hey y’all I’m Eric, and I’m gonna teach you how to make my Moo-Maw’s apple pie,” come out of his headphones, Jack shut his laptop and stared blankly ahead. The comfort of hearing his friend-who-he-made-out-with-and-really-likes talking was far outweighed by the vertigo caused by remembering his real name.

Over time it became less of an issue. Jack wasn’t going to call him _Eric_ anytime soon, but he could make it through a full video now, which was nice. He missed Bitty, a lot. And since they were in different time zones 90% of the time, watching his vlog was a good way to hear him talk and keep up with what was happening in his life. 

The second problem Jack had with Bitty’s vlog was that he only posted once a week, meaning Jack had run out of current material _quickly_ . Part of him felt like going back and watching old videos was an invasion of privacy. Yeah they were posted to the public, and Bitty was actually to one who suggested that he watch them, but _still_. The guys all made a pact to not watch the videos when they found out about his channel. The less they knew about Bitty’s online persona, and what he may have mentioned about all of them, the better.

But, Jack got desperate. After a week of not being able to coordinate more than 15 minutes to talk to his _something_ , he decided to watch an old video. He ended up choosing one from the summer before his junior year. He grinned when he saw Bitty’s face flash up on the screen. He looked so young without his official Samwell Chop. 

When Jack watched the videos, he didn’t really pay much attention to what Bitty was saying. He really didn’t need to know how to bake anything, he just let the sound wash over him, like listening to music while on a run. As he was starting to drift off to sleep, something caught his attention. 

“So a few of y’all have asked how my college search is going.” Jack jumped up, wincing at how the sound of the headboard hitting the wall echoed through his empty apartment. He turned up the volume and actually started to listen.

“By the time this video is up,” Bitty on the screen said, vaguely gesturing with his hands, “I’ll definitely have chosen. I’m just waiting for some scholarship information from one of the schools.” 

Despite knowing _exactly_ how this would turn out, Jack found himself on the edge of his metaphorical seat. “If everything goes well for me, in a couple of months I’ll be posting my videos from the freshman dorm halls of Samwell University.” Jack let out a relieved sigh at Bitty’s confirmation that Samwell was where he wanted to be.

* * *

Jack found himself really enjoying listening to Bitty’s adventures as a frog. Most of them ended up including absolutely batshit things that their team did, most of which weren’t conduct violations. The first time he regretted watching Bitty’s frog videos was when on screen Bitty said, “But today Jack chewed me out in front of everyone.” He winced when Bitty ended the sentence with “Again.” Jack paused the video and tried to stop himself from feeling sick. He couldn’t tell what was more upsetting to him, the fact that he had been so mean to one his favorite people in the world, or the fact that Bitty just seemed so resigned to that fact.

Jack tapped his fingers against his laptop for a couple of seconds before deciding to bite the bullet and continue watching the video. To his relief, it did get better. He was glad to know that Shitty and the rest of the guys made Bitty feel better about what had happened. And, he found himself near hysterics when Bitty revealed that he had no clue who Bad Bob Zimmerman was, especially because Jack only had a vague idea of who Michelle Kwan was.

The video was a bit of a reality check for Jack. As much as he likes to only remember the good times with his team, the fact of the matter was that he was kind of a dick. And even worse, he was kind of a dick to the guy who he would very much like to kiss again some time soon. It was Jack’s sense of morbid curiosity that drove him to keep watching the videos from his own junior year. 

* * *

Sometimes they were good. He found himself unable to stop smiling, as on screen Bitty put off a baking tutorial to talk about his first assist of the season. The wild grin on Bitty’s face paired with the disjointed way that he told the story reminded Jack exactly why he started to like him so much. After such a happy video he couldn’t help but watch the next. 

He nearly woke up Tater with the snort he let out at hearing Bitty start a video with, “Reason 17 to hate Jack Zimmerman.” The number was so oddly specific that a small part of him wanted to know what numbers 1 through 16 were, and if any of those had changed in the past two years. 

* * *

Jack was glad he watched the “Family Weekend” vlog when he got back home from the road game. The second he heard Bitty say, “So it’s family weekend at Samwell,” he knew he would like himself a little less by the end of the video. He remembered how mean he was to Bitty after that game. The ironic thing was that he knew exactly how he would react to Bitty making that shot now, and it would involve a lot more smiling and hugging, and potentially more depending on how public their celebration was. 

Seeing how much he hurt Bitty’s feelings after what was a -- yeah lucky, but still -- fantastic shot felt like a punch in the gut. Part of him wanted to call him and say sorry right then and there. But he figured Bitty probably wouldn’t want to be woken up at 3 in the morning just to hear an apology that was 2 years overdue. Especially since Bitty had probably already forgiven him.

It didn’t help that Jack had a pretty good idea of how many more videos he’d have to endure before he got to a point in his junior year where he actually started being nice to Bitty.

Lardo was right, Bitty was too good of a person to hang out with any of them. 

* * *

Jack is never going to forget the time he let Bitty get a concussion.

He’s also never going to be sure why he decided to watch the video where Bitty detailed it.

* * *

The one good thing about the concussion video, is that it gave him some weird sense of hope for how the story would go. Yes of course he knew that Bitty and he became friends. He also knew they got a bit further than that. (The kiss still replayed in his head sometimes, despite the fact that he had no recollection of running across campus in his dress shoes.) But, the concussion video ended with the banquet, and Bitty moving into the haus. 

It ended with Jack and Bitty actually liking each other.

Despite the fact that he was there for all of this, it seemed like a bit of a plot twist.

* * *

The videos from Bitty’s sophomore year were a thousand times better. For one they were in the Haus, and as good as Bitty is at editing, every once and awhile he missed one of them doing something stupid in the background. Jack even caught himself walking through the frame and sticking his tongue out at the camera.

The video where Bitty talked about the frogs for the first time stuck out to him. He knew Bitty was a team player even before he was willing to admit it. But watching him talk about mediating the most volatile pair of people on the team… Bitty was acting like a captain. He was acting like a captain, when that was still Jack’s job. Jack filed that information away for later, not entirely sure how to process it quite yet.

* * *

Jack was visiting his parents when he got to a video called “WGSS120 / HIST376: Women, Food, & American Culture”. It was the one class he took with Bitty, so he knew going in that he would be a featured player. 

Hearing how Bitty actually got into that class as a sophomore was about what he expected. Bitty might be the nicest person that he knows, but it doesn’t mean that he isn’t ridiculously manipulative too. He chuckled when Bitty tried to pass off his bribery as nothing. Within seconds his father looked up from his own laptop and asked, “What’s so funny?”

Jack panicked, “Shitty sent me a funny video from when we were back at school.”

His dad grinned, “Can I see it?”

“No!” he paused, “Shitty is naked in it and I would rather not…” It was plausible enough apparently, because his father shook his head and looked back down at his laptop.

He laughed “It’s things like that that make me think he could have his own TV show.”

Jack chuckled, “I’d watch it.”

His dad laughed again, “You would be in it.” After that he dropped the subject, leaving Jack in the clear.

That conversation put Jack a little too far on the edge. Yeah, his parents would understand if he offhandedly said he missed Bitty, but it would be much harder to explain around the fact that he just watched the videos because he wanted to hear Bitty’s voice. He decided to wait until his parents were in bed to finish the video. 

It was kind of strange to hear Bitty retell something that he was a part of that was so mundane. He remembered that week of school quite well, and Shitty did tackle him while naked, an event that Bitty saw. A lot of weird shit happened that week, but this 13 minute video was about a pie that they baked, that wasn’t even _that_ good. It wasn’t even a tutorial video; on screen Bitty wasn’t explaining the pie that they made at all. What was so special about them making a pie together that he didn’t talk about Shitty’s antics, the haunting, or the fact that Ransom and Holster stole toilet paper from the LAX bros instead of just going to buy more?

Jack got the answer to his question 3 minutes and 41 seconds later when on screen Bitty put his head in his flour covered hands and said, “Never fall for a straight boy.”

Jack paused the video and whispered, “Shit…” to the empty room. He may be dense occasionally, but he isn’t stupid. Jack obviously knew that Bitty was talking about him. Suddenly little moments that could have been different flashed through his head. That time he jumped over a snowbank to get coffee with Bitty could have ended with a kiss. All of those times they walked around together while he took pictures, they could have been holding hands. 

That moment when Parse came back, Jack could have yelled in his face that there was somebody who wanted him, who liked him, who actually made him feel loved. (After a few videos, Jack kind of figures that Bitty would have liked to tell Parse the same thing).

“Shit… I could have had this six months ago.” That moment, in his childhood bedroom, Jack realized that he had to plan something, something romantic. Bitty would be up in Providence in a couple of weeks. And if Jack was remembering right, their action figures would be shipped out by then. 

Everything was coming together.

So Jack kept watching the videos.


End file.
